Enterprise Car share takes us to Alba Osteria

Pin It Now!

As a car-less city dweller I rely heavily on public transit to get me around town. But once in a while, I need a car to run errands or get out of town for a bit. A few months ago I signed up for Enterprise Car Share and have since used them on a number of occasions.  The cars are conveniently located, clean, relatively inexpensive, and perform very well!  I've totally enjoyed trying out all the different makes and models as I zip around town! As a result of one of my loud-mouthed tweets, Enterprise's marketing department got a hold of us and offered us the opportunity to take one of the cars to a restaurant of our choosing in exchange for our write up of the experience here. The truth is that I am happy to share the experience with you. After trying out a variety of car sharing options, I am more pleased with Enterprise than ever. We were able to use the $100 gift card Enterprise gave us to rent a car for 3 hours (at $8/hr) and had about $75 left over for brunch at Alba Osteria! Win-win! Despite the sponsorship from Enterprise, the views and opinions expressed here are completely my own.

I picked up this adorable yellow Chevy Spark just a few blocks from my apartment on a Sunday morning and drove over to a new Italian spot, Alba Osteria, in Penn Quarter.  Alba has an all you can eat and drink boozy brunch that is well worth the $30. We started off a little shaky with a confused and abrupt hostess, but we quickly overlooked that with a plethora of delicious food and excellent waitress service. 



On this particular occasion I met Amanda and a group of our other friends for a birthday brunch. And celebrate we did! We started out with some brunch cocktails that were both delicious and generous. As the driver of the group, I had to stop at just one, but the waiters seemed disappointed that they couldn't serve me more! We stayed for hours and the rest of the group never saw the bottom of their champagne flutes!

The menu was bottomless, and as 6 hungry girls we dabbled in a bit of everything.  One of the group favorites were the lemon ricotta blueberry pancakes. They were delightly sweet and tart.  The ricotta also keeps them the perfect lightness. They were so flavorful that they barely needed the syrup.

One of my favorite dishes was the smoked salmon benedict. Instead of serving it on the traditional English muffin, it was paired with toast schmeared with burrata mozzarella.  The only drawback to this dish was that the poached eggs were bordering on raw.  We like our eggs runny, but not that runny.  That being said, there is no doubt I will be back for this dish. 






We also ordered one of the breakfast pizzas. This one was a creamy white pizza with pancetta, spinach, and topped with eggs. I am seriously starting to wonder if there is any food item that isn't better with a runny egg on top.

Another group favorite, although not my personal fav, was a skillet baked with spicy tomato sauce, meatballs, eggs, cheese, and french fries - for dipping. It was a unique take on the dish and reminded us of shakshuka.

The egg white frittata was a great addition to the meal. Made with a mix of veggies and Parmigiano Reggiano, it was a nice lighter option. It was also served with a link of lamb sausage that was surprisingly delicious!

Finally, it being an Italian restaurant, we had to try one of the pastas.  Yes, pasta for breakfast is acceptable. This light egg pasta was served with a veal ragu that was just divine. Although I was totally stuffed by this point, the pasta convinced me I need to come back for dinner. 

I have to say that Alba Osteria was not only a great meal, but an altogether great experience.  We loved being able to try so many dishes.  The restaurant is also beautifully decorated with a great ambiance.  

Also, because Enterprise was generous enough to sponsor us with the free ride, here is a link to their website.  If you are like me, and occasionally find yourself in a need of a car for a few hours, I definitely recommend checking them out.